Cutting carbon emissions - school audit for KS3

Carry out an audit of your school to investigate where you can reduce carbon emissions.

Walk around your school and have a look at the various components to see if they are as efficient as they could be. Are there any improvements that could be made to reduce carbon emissions? Do you feel the school could look for ways to offset its carbon emissions?

Once students have completed the audit, ask them to write a letter or make a short film for the headteacher or school’s decision makers explaining what they think should be done to reduce carbon emissions and why. Students might need to do some research on what elements would be the most cost effective or have the biggest impact. Don’t forget to consider any negative outcomes that might come from the ideas and suggest some mitigation tactics.

Curriculum links

Chemistry: The production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the impact on climate.

Geography: Understand how human and physical processes interact to influence, and change landscapes, environments and the climate; and how human activity relies on effective functioning of natural systems.

We’d love to hear how you get on with this resource. For more free resources, visit www.forestryengland.uk/learning